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Episode 1492: The Hidden Hall of Famer
Date January 28, 2020 Summary Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about umpire crew chiefs getting microphones for the 2020 season, the Reds signing Nick Castellanos and the small gaps between the top four teams in the NL Central, the Diamondbacks trading for Starling Marte and whether the Dodgers can be beaten in the NL West, and MLB getting sued over sign stealing, and then Sam makes the case for Andy Pettitte as a deserving Hall of Famer, prompting a discussion of the most challenging era in which to develop pitchers and how we assess players’ Cooperstown qualifications. Topics * The case against Andy Pettitte as a Hall of Famer * Sam's case for Andy Pettitte as a Hall of Famer * Pitching in a high offense era * Tracking the ratio of pitcher to batter WAR * Most difficult phase of a pitcher's career * Reliability of pitching prospects in the 1990s * Most challenging era to develop a pitcher Intro Soul Position, "Mic Control" Outro The Cranberries, "Desperate Andy" Banter * Ben and Sam discuss the report the MLB umpire crew chiefs will have microphones during the 2020 season to announce calls to the crowd and TV audience. Ben and Sam first discussed this concept in Episode 264. Ben and Jeff discussed it with Dale Scott in Episode 1232. * Nick Castellanos signed a four year, $64 million contract with the Reds. The Cubs, Brewers, Reds, and Cardinals projected win totals differ by a maximum of just five wins. * Starling Marte was traded from the Pirates to the Diamondbacks, but Ben and Sam are not sure if anything can be done to stop the Dodgers from winning the NL West. * A class action lawsuit from fantasy baseball players was filed against MLB, alleging that they can claim damages from the Astros' sign-stealing scandal. Ben reads from a Sports Illustrated report that makes clear the bettors have no legal claim since they are not in contract with the teams. Notes * In past discussions about the 2020 Hall of Fame ballot Sam has said he could talk himself into voting for Andy Pettitte. In this episode he makes his case to Ben for why Pettitte should be in the Hall of Fame. * In class-A ball Andy Pettitte threw a knuckleball but he abandoned it since Jorge Posada couldn't catch it. * Sam notes that Pettitte debuted in a very difficult era for pitchers and then went on to pitch in some of the highest offensive environments in MLB history. As a result, Sam thinks his candidacy for the Hall of Fame deserves a closer look despite his lower WAR total. * Sam demonstrates that in 1995 when Pettitte debuted pitchers were throwing harder, batters were seeing more pitchers, and more home runs were being hit. This combined for an exceptionally difficult and volatile era for a pitcher to make his debut. * When compared to other pitchers that debuted in the mid 90s, Pettitte stands out more than when comparing to pitchers that were already established in the major leagues at that time. * Ben, who will soon be able to vote for the Hall of Fame, is not entirely convinced yet but thinks Sam makes a reasonable case. Links * Effectively Wild Episode 1492: The Hidden Hall of Famer * The Balk: The Black Sheep of the Baseball Rulebook by Sam Miller * Reds See Opportunity in Signing Castellanos * MLB Cheating Scandal Corrupted Fantasy Baseball, Fan Says by Law360 * 20 Big Questions About MLB's Sign-Stealing Scandal by Michael McCann * We Got Our hands on 73,000 Never-Before-Seen MLB Scouting Reports. Here's What We Learned. by Ben Lindbergh and Rob Arthur * JAWS and the 2020 Hall of Fame Ballot: Andy Pettitte by Jay Jaffe * Bartolo Colon, Hall of Famer? Maybe it's not so crazy by Sam Miller Category:Episodes